28. Charlotte Hornets
- Last season: 23-42, 27th (T) in offense, 25th in defense
- In: Gordon Hayward (four years, $120 million), LaMelo Ball (drafted No. 3)
- Out: Nicolas Batum (waived), Dwayne Bacon (FA)
- Sticking around: Bismack Biyombo (one year, $3.5 million)
- SportsLine projection: 24.5 wins
There is a logic to the most stunning contract of free agency: The Hornets have put together a respectable starting five, giving the No. 3 pick some real structure as he adjusts from the NBL to the NBA. Most rebuilding teams, however, would not pay $120 million for that.
Charlotte has some stuff to figure out with its guard rotation, and its chances of competing for a playoff spot largely depend on its 19-year-old lead playmaker. If he and everybody's least favorite free-agent acquisition bring the best out of the young forwards on the roster, this team could turn out to be pretty competitive -- and a League Pass favorite. The cost of this, though, is more than that dollar figure:
Pretty competitive is another way of saying just good enough to not get a high pick in next year's draft.